Rating: 
Summary: An Israeli resident
Review: As someone who is neither Arab nor Jew and who has lived in Israel for a few years, I can say that this book pretty much mirrors my experiences. If you want an objective view (which is pretty hard to get in mainstream media these days) this book is a must read. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand more about what the real situation is like in Israel.
Rating:
Summary: A first-class book!
Review: David Shipler's journalistic skills are enormous; the book is assembled nearly perfectly, with balance, insight, and compassion. I've read it through twice, and have never found another book that comes close in terms of presenting the truth of the Middle East conflict. For American readers, the greatest service this book offers is an uncompromisingly fair, even wise, portrayal of the Palestinian side of the conflict in this region, if only because of America's historically pro-Israel policies; policies, incidentally, which have not always concerned themselves with truth. Because of that act of journalistic justice, the peculiarly touching aspect of Israel's unavoidable internal sorrow at her predicament becomes, perhaps for the first time, something understandable and noble. It is an easy thing to take sides in a situation such as one finds in the Middle East; it is not so easy to patiently explore the myriad strands of time and fate that weave through both sides of such an 'unsolvable' conflict. This book goes a long way toward making an attempt to do just that. This is a clear-headed book 'spoken' by the very people involved; it is wise and engaging, and full of David Shipler's heart. It is no wonder that it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Highest recommendation!
Rating:
Summary: A first-class book!
Review: David Shipler's journalistic skills are enormous; the book is assembled nearly perfectly, with balance, insight, and compassion. I've read it through twice, and have never found another book that comes close in terms of presenting the truth of the Middle East conflict. For American readers, the greatest service this book offers is an uncompromisingly fair, even wise, portrayal of the Palestinian side of the conflict in this region, if only because of America's historically pro-Israel policies; policies, incidentally, which have not always concerned themselves with truth. Because of that act of journalistic justice, the peculiarly touching aspect of Israel's unavoidable internal sorrow at her predicament becomes, perhaps for the first time, something understandable and noble. It is an easy thing to take sides in a situation such as one finds in the Middle East; it is not so easy to patiently explore the myriad strands of time and fate that weave through both sides of such an 'unsolvable' conflict. This book goes a long way toward making an attempt to do just that. This is a clear-headed book 'spoken' by the very people involved; it is wise and engaging, and full of David Shipler's heart. It is no wonder that it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Highest recommendation!
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful and Even-handed
Review: Great book. If there were a way to give this book 4 and a half stars, I would have rated it such. Shipler's book manages to give a face to both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict without taking sides. Never before has there been such a need for people to be exposed to the intricacies behind both sides of the Middle East conflict. If you are interested in the historical facts that have led up to the Promised Land's current state of volatility, there are probably better books to go to. However, if you want to hear from the inside what the Palestinian experience is like living in occupied West Bank, Golan Heights, and Gaza Strip and their viewpoint of Israelis, no book can do it better. Also, what stands out above the fray of literature on this subject, is the continual reaching out of individuals and individual groups' to reconcile their differences and the points of hope and points of futility that result from these attempts. If you are looking for something black and white that will give you a clear conclusion on what is to be done in the middle east Pandora's Box that is modern day Israel, this book will not give it to you. What it will give you is an epiphany as to just how complex the human dimension is between the Jews and Arabs and how there really is no clear solution to the conflict as long as things remain status quo. It is not a hopeful book, but a deeply revealing one. Don't hesitate to buy this book if you are interested in the human dimension in modern day Israel and Palestine.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful and Even-handed
Review: Great book. If there were a way to give this book 4 and a half stars, I would have rated it such. Shipler's book manages to give a face to both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict without taking sides. Never before has there been such a need for people to be exposed to the intricacies behind both sides of the Middle East conflict. If you are interested in the historical facts that have led up to the Promised Land's current state of volatility, there are probably better books to go to. However, if you want to hear from the inside what the Palestinian experience is like living in occupied West Bank, Golan Heights, and Gaza Strip and their viewpoint of Israelis, no book can do it better. Also, what stands out above the fray of literature on this subject, is the continual reaching out of individuals and individual groups' to reconcile their differences and the points of hope and points of futility that result from these attempts. If you are looking for something black and white that will give you a clear conclusion on what is to be done in the middle east Pandora's Box that is modern day Israel, this book will not give it to you. What it will give you is an epiphany as to just how complex the human dimension is between the Jews and Arabs and how there really is no clear solution to the conflict as long as things remain status quo. It is not a hopeful book, but a deeply revealing one. Don't hesitate to buy this book if you are interested in the human dimension in modern day Israel and Palestine.
Rating:
Summary: Arab and Jew : Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land
Review: Having visited in the home of a Palestinian on a trip to Israel a few years ago, I thought I was well aware of the Israeli/Palestinian conflicts. The book is a real eye-opener. The prejudices in that country makes our prejudices seem like a love-in.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing for some reason
Review: I can't quite put a finger on why I was let down by this book; Shipler is an excellent writer and most of the stories in the book are simply great. He seems to excel in finding the perfect anecdote for each situation, so that even though many of the people interviewed hold similar views, each seems to add a new angle to the argument rather than being repetitive. On the other hand, this book seems to have no point. As a collection of stories and personal testimony, it has no equal. But in the end, the narrative just kind of trails off into oblivion; Shipler offers neither solutions nor suggestions, not even direction. Given, he admits at the start of the book that such direction is difficult, if not impossible to offer. But you'd think that especially after revising the book following the collapse of the Oslo Accords, he'd have something to say, some greater point to offer. But, unfortunately, nothing is there, and it seems to harm an otherwise wonderfully written collection.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful and thorough, without being didactic
Review: I was first introduced to this book in a class
entitled "Religion and Politics" at Georgetown
University. The ingrained resistance to required
reading dissipated within the first few pages
of Shipley's book. He writes with a first-hand
knowledge, without presuming the reader is hope-
lessly ignorant, as so many other journalistic
surveys of modern politics do.
And what a survey it is. Shipley peers into motivation,
not simply cause-and-effect, and generates some
insightful observations on the cause of this chronic
and cataclysmic brou-haha.
In sum, the book is not only an excellent textbook,
it was a fine read. I highly recommend it.
(Irene Yao) irene117@hotmail.com
Rating:
Summary: An Israeli resident
Review: If you want to read a book about the Arab-Israeli conflict in order reinforce your position, this is not the one. This book offers no solutions nor presents any new arguments. In fact, its poignant depiction of suffering on both sides will make you question any prior views you've held, and that's a very difficult choice for some people to make. The prose is almost hypnotic, transcending the dryness of most non-fiction books. There hasn't been a book like Shipler's Arab and Jew in the last fifteen years. This book was written before the first intifadah, so some of the statistics are out of date, and rhetoric has intensified. I only wish Shipler could update this great work.
Rating:
Summary: It will change you
Review: If you want to read a book about the Arab-Israeli conflict in order reinforce your position, this is not the one. This book offers no solutions nor presents any new arguments. In fact, its poignant depiction of suffering on both sides will make you question any prior views you've held, and that's a very difficult choice for some people to make. The prose is almost hypnotic, transcending the dryness of most non-fiction books. There hasn't been a book like Shipler's Arab and Jew in the last fifteen years. This book was written before the first intifadah, so some of the statistics are out of date, and rhetoric has intensified. I only wish Shipler could update this great work.
|
